


The Price of Freedom

by grimmfairy



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Burlesque, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fae & Fairies, M/M, Physical Abuse, Protective Leonard Snart, Rape/Non-con Elements, Selkies, Slow Build, Strippers & Strip Clubs, abusive harrison, barry is a good dancer, because barry cannot consent of his own free will, chaotic neutral leonard, eobard forced barry to be with him, eobard stole barry's skin without his consent, eventually, harrison wells is eobard, leonard is sort of human, leonard snart is not exactly good in the beginning, selkie barry, so that's why it's tagged rape, swan mick
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-23 08:05:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10715502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grimmfairy/pseuds/grimmfairy
Summary: Barry is a selkie whose sealskin was stolen by Harrison Wells, a man with a dark secret and obsession with ownership. In order to regain his freedom and escape the constant abuse he faces, Barry must make a deal with the "Demon of Central City" Leonard Snart. Leonard Snart, burlesque club owner to the outside world and renowned thief to the fae world, sets a high price for Barry's freedom only to slowly realize that perhaps he hasn't lost as much humanity as he thought.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warnings for abuse in pretty much all forms in later chapters.
> 
> Lore from different sources, some of it my own creation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Barry meets Len for the first time.

**_"As soon as the seal was clear of the water, it reared up and its skin slipped down to the sand. What had been a seal was a white-skinned boy"_ **  
** George Mackay Brown - Pictures in the Cave **

* * *

The interior of the club was dark and smelled of alcohol, cologne, and the cloying smell of lust. For the sleazy part of town this place was located in, it was surprisingly well-maintained and clean. Of course, if what Barry had been told was true, Leonard Snart would accept no less for his business. As Barry was waved in by a bouncer with slightly more wolfish teeth than the average person, he felt eyes locking on to his every move. A mixture of fae and humans were in the audience, sitting at tables in goups or alone, many with drinks in hand. He knew that he should be used to people's roving stares by now, but it still made him hunch in on himself a bit. As he slipped into a chair at a small table, he couldn't help but watch the dancers. There were two on stage at the moment, a pair of young succubi that were feeding off the lust being directed at them by the unsuspecting humans in the audience. Barry felt no stirrings for them, but he could admire the grace with which they moved in sync. There was no cheesy music and cheap g-strings here.

He used to dance on the beach with his family, before everything happened. 

Just as Barry was starting to wonder how he was going to see the boss before his time ran out, a large hand clamped down on his shoulder from behind. Barry looked up, startled out of his viewing, and felt his heart skip a beat. A _swanmane_ was staring down at him with his black swan eyes (invisible to humans unless the man wanted to show them) and holding his shoulder with one thick hand. Barry swallowed hard, wishing that he had thought to order a stiff drink before this. Swanmanes were a rare type of shapeshifter that, similar to lycanthropy, could change their shape to that of a swan. Barry had never seen one this close before.

"Boss wants to meet you," The man said. His voice was a raspy growl, one that echoed the angry hiss of a swan. "Come with me."

Barry nodded and stood from his little table without knocking it over somehow, and followed him. Barry tried not to panic as he was led further away from the pulsing music and down a long back hallway. Part of him was screaming to run away, but he knew that if he ran he would be chased. And if he was chased, he would most likely be killed. There was a door at the end of the hallway with light spilling out from the bottom. From within, Barry could hear a muffled voices speaking, one male and one female. The swanmane knocked on the door three times, then opened it. Barry blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to brightness of the room, and he felt a hand on his back shove him firmly inside.

"You're a long way from home," A smooth voice said. Barry focused his gaze on the man that was leaning against the front of a desk in the middle of the room. He had short graying hair, piercing stormy blue eyes, and a relaxed posture that set Barry on edge. "It's not often that Central City is graced by your kind."

Leonard Snart was every bit as terrifying as he had been told. Rumor had it that he wasn't even a full fae, but he could steal anything. He had traded jobs for favors and boons all the way to the top of the Central City underworld.  He didn't like the way the man was staring at him, like he was trying to determine his value. 

"It's not by choice." Barry was surprised at how level his voice sounded. 

"It rarely is," Leonard answered in that same silky smooth voice. "What brings such a young pup to my humble abode?"

"I need you to steal something for me," Barry said. Leonard chuckled. "From Harrison Wells."

"Did you hear that, Mick? The trophy bride of the richest man in Central has a job for us," Leonard pushed himself off the desk and approached Barry. His gait was just... _off_. Not as graceful as an incubus, but far less jerky than the most graceful human. Barry wondered just how much of him was still human. Barry backed up on instinct until he bounced off Mick's broad chest (like a brick wall, Barry thought to himself). Snart stopped about a foot away from Barry, and he swore he could feel the heat coming from the man's body. Mick's raspy laugh from behind him was terrifying.

"I need my sealskin so I can go home," Barry said, wincing as his voice broke on 'home'. "But I can't get to it."

"You got your skin stolen in the first place. Why should we clean up your mess?" Mick asked, his voice deep and slightly bored. Barry clenched his hands into fists where they hung at his sides. 

"If I was willing to get your skin back, what do you offer in return?" Snart asked, staring deep into Barry's eyes. 

"I don't have money," Barry said, dropping his gaze. "But I'll do anything to get away from him."

"You'd rather make a deal with the devil than live as a pampered pet?" Snart asked. "It's going to cost you."

"I'm not his pet," Barry spat, looking back up to meet Snart's gaze once more. "I'm his slave. Any price is worth my freedom."

Snart stared at him a moment longer, his gaze calculating. He suddenly turned his back and walked back to his desk.

"Mick, please escort out guest to the door. Come back in one week, pup. I'll have decided a price by then."

Mick's vise like grip closed around his arm and his was led firmly back to the club. Mick brought him to the bar.

"Have one on me, kid. Then get out," Mick said as he signaled the bartender. Barry noticed that his hands were shaking as he took the offered drink. 

"Thank you."

Mick just grunted and disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

 

"What's the plan, boss?" Mick asked, standing in front of the desk with his arms crossed. Leonard looked at him with a twinkle in his eye that always meant he was up to something shady.

"What do you know of selkies?"

Mick raised an eyebrow. It was going to be one of those discussions then, where getting real information out of his partner was going to be like pulling teeth,

"They're seals in the water, humans on land. Webbing between their toes, abnormally large eyes and fabled beauty. You steal a skin, you can bend them to your will," Mick said shortly. As far a fae creature went, selkies were fairly harmless minor league players, though it was rare to see a male selkie with his skin stolen. Usually they were treated like wives, or parakeets. Pretty faces for bearing children and keeping the house, that sort of thing. 

"Did you know that a selkie's dance can cause an enraptured feeling? It's similar to that of an incubus, without the life draining effects. Usually by the time you think to grab one of their skins, the dance is over and they're gone," Leonard said thoughtfully. "What do you think a sealskin is worth?"

Mick wrinkled his nose slightly. Leonard Snart was many things, most of them dangerous, but he had never seen the man consider human trafficking before.

"They have no magical properties. The selkie itself is the only thing of value," Mick said carefully. Leonard's gaze turned introspective.

"I've never stolen from Harrison Wells before. It'd take months to plan," Leonard said, but he wasn't really talking to Mick anymore. Mick rolled his eyes and left his boss to his schemes. If he decided to help the kid out, then Mick was in. If not, the selkie was on his own. It was unfortunate, Mick decided, but it happened. He was distracted by a commotion in the private lap dance area and sighed. Someone had tried to get handsy with Hartley again. If he didn't hurry, they'd have a body to dispose of. Sirens were not to be trifled with. All thoughts of the young selkie were pushed aside as he went to grab the dancer before he could rip out a client's throat. In the backroom, Leonard Snart was thinking of a plan.


	2. The deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry returns to hear Leonard's deal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some mentions of Eobard being a creepy rapey bastard when he took Barry's skin.

_**“Think of every fairy-tale villainess you've ever heard of. Think of the wicked witches, the evil queens, the mad enchantresses. Think of the alluring sirens, the hungry ogresses, the savage she-beasts. Think of them and remember that somewhere, sometime, they've all been real."** _ **-Jim Butcher, Small Favor**

* * *

Barry stared at his hands, at the little bit of extra webbing between his fingers that marked him as well as any brand if someone know what to look for. He had just finished cleaning up after the "anniversary dinner" that Eobard had made him prepare. To celebrate two years of wedded bliss, he said. Barry could hardly keep any of the food down, and none of it soothed the gnawing hunger to return to the ocean. The iron wedding band on his finger burned with every movement. 

He missed dancing carefree on the beach. He missed zipping through the waves to catch fish. He missed his mother.

_"Don't let your skin out of you sight, baby," Nora said, smiling brightly at him. "You don't want to lose it."_

_"I won't, mommy," He replied, looking up at her._

_"Hold my hand."_

His mother had warned him long ago not to let his sealskin out of his sight, even while he danced with the other young selkies. But he had made the mistake of thinking that the late hour and the large number of his people around him made him safe. Everyone's skins were there waiting on the rocks when the last dance was over. All but one. Barry was left alone on the beach, abandoned until the man that took his skin returned from hiding it. Eobard had claimed him right there on the beach, consummating their "marriage" even as he cried in his nakedness and begged to go home. " _You'll learn to love me"_ , the man had said as he brushed away his bride's tears. Barry wasn't sure if Eobard truly believed that, or if he even cared. 

Barry was supposed to meet with Leonard Snart tomorrow night. He wished he could tell the man the truth about Eobard, about "Harrison Well's" secret. But Eobard had given him a direct order not to tell anyone of his true nature, and he wasn't strong enough to overcome it. He wasn't strong enough to go against any of Eobard's commands anymore. The sea was too far away and he'd been away far too long.

"Come to bed, sweetheart," Eobard purred. "Let's keep the celebration going."

Barry's lip trembled, but he followed his husband to the bedroom. Eobard still seemed to take explicit pleasure in making Barry cry in bed. Barry had never been with a man (or anyone, really, he was barely of age by their standards) until the night he met Eobard, and he hated it. Eobard was cruel in bed, harsh with Barry's delicate skin and rarely reciprocated the favors he demanded. Barry endured his husband's kisses, his too-tight grip on his hair, his demands that Barry moan his name until he came. 

Barry slid out of bed when Eobard finally fell asleep and padded quietly to the master bathroom. He stared at the red marks on his skin that would soon become hickeys in front of the vanity mirror with unmasked disgust. At Eobard, and himself. They marred his perfect pale skin, dirtied it, just like Eobard intended them to. His only solace was the kowledge that the bruises would only last for twelve hours. He then sat naked in the shower for awhile trying to pretend that being in the chemically treated spray helped ease the pain of being in his human form too long. While the water helped him to heal some of his aches, it wasn't the sea. The tears he hadn't shed for months sprang unbidden to his eyes as he imagined Leonard Snart rejecting him. He didn't know what he would do if he couldn't get his skin back soon. One of Eobard's tortures was his insistence that Barry was allowed to roam Central. It wasn't so much a freedom as it was a taunt, a taunt that even if he could leave Eobard's presence, he might as well be in a cage. He couldn't step outside the city lines, and even if he did get up the courage to run away, all Eobard had to do was use him skin to find him. Or he could destroy it and sever Barry's ties to the sea (and most likely his sanity) forever.

He would do anything to escape.

* * *

Mick was a rare bird, Leonard thought to himself with a smug sense of satisfaction at the pun. His kind were hard to find if one didn't know what to look for, and tended to stick to themselves because of their belligerent personalities. Deceptively graceful in their swan forms, swanmanes were built like WWE fighters (male and female) in their human forms with their black swan eyes acting as the only indication of their species to other fae. Though they lacked magical talents, swanmanes were coveted for their skill as hired muscle if trust could be established. The fact that Mick had stuck around him for so long was unheard of.

"So what are you going to do with the sealpup?" Mick asked. Leonard looked up from his computer. It took a lot of work to maintain his legitimate business. 

"If and when he arrives, bring him to me. There are a few things we need to discuss."

"You have something in mind, don't you?" Mick asked. "I get the feeling he won't like whatever you're thinking."

Leonard just shrugged.

"If the pup's willing to take the deal I have in mind, that's his choice," Leonard answered. "By the way, tell your  _goslings_ to stop clawing at the customers. It's bad for business."

" _By the way_ ," Mick growled in an irritated imitation of Leonard's smooth drawl, his arms crossing defensively over his chest. "Lisa called me. She wanted _me_ to tell you she's coming to town for a few weeks because you won't pick up your damn phone. I'm not a carrier pigeon. Talk to your sister yourself."

"Thank you, Mick," Leonard dismissed him calmly. 

Mick grumbled under his breath about geese as he closed the door firmly behind him. Leonard shook his head after his friend was gone. Mick was the one that kept the peace between the staff members, and between the staff and any patrons that got too bold. His self-proclaimed role as bouncer mostly entailed making sure that none of the dancers or staff were taken advantage of by patrons of varying species, keeping an eye out for Axel's ~~pleas for attention~~ _pranks_ , and keeping Hartley from tearing throats out. Leonard allowed it because Mick could let out some of his aggression almost nightly in a way that didn't involve setting things on fire and no one was better at stopping a fight in its tracks than Mick.

* * *

Barry arrived at the club much earlier than the time before. "Harrison Wells" was on a business trip for a few days, and Barry was on his own. He didn't know if Eobard had taken the skin with him so Barry would have even less of a chance to get it back, but he doubted it. Eobard knew Barry couldn't get to the skin where he had it locked up inside Star Labs. The bartender looked bored as Barry approached.

"Show starts in an hour. Come back then." The man didn't even bother putting down the cloth he was using to wipe dust from the various bottles behind him. 

"I'm supposed to meet with Leonard Snart? Is he here?" Barry asked. The man finally took a good look at Barry, a suspicious cast to his gaze. 

"I've seen you before," The man said, his gaze dropping to the slightly webbed hand Barry had absent-mindedly laid on the bar. "You're that selkie, aren't you? Mick bought you a drink."

Barry could have sworn he saw storm clouds in the man's eyes. He swallowed hard, and nodded. The man chuckled and gave Barry a pitying look. He set a pair of shot glasses on the bar and poured some tequila. 

"You must be pretty desperate to come to our neck of the woods, pup," The man said. "The name's Mark, by the way."

Barry accepted the shot hesitantly, and drank it after Mark clinked his glass against it.

"How do you know why I'm here?" Barry asked as goosebumps broke out on his body. He wished that Mark had offered him a chaser.

"Unless you're here to apply for the job opening, which I doubt, there's usually only one reason to talk to Snart. You made a deal."

"Yeah. I mean, I don't know what it is," Barry agreed. "But...I need his help. So I'll do it."

Mark considered him for a moment longer, taking in the hunch of Barry's shoulders. It wasn't from fear, he decided, more...resignation. The weight of the world rested on this boy's shoulders. Usually Mark cared very little for the lost souls that came to Snart for help, but he just didn't see what Barry could ever offer in exchange. 

"Don't go anywhere," Mark ordered. Barry nodded quickly and sat down on one of the stools while the bartender walked into the back room. Leonard looked up from whatever he was doing when Mark opened the door to his office. 

"What do you want, Mark?" Leonard asked in a bored tone. "If you're here to ask for an advance on your paycheck, the answer is no."

"That selkie is back," Mark said, ignoring his boss. Leonard's bored gaze brightened considerably.

"Bring him back here."

"What could you possibly get from someone like him?" Mark said. "He's not exactly your normal client."

"You'll soon find out, if he accepts my offer," Leonard said. "And if he does, you'll get your usual cut. Understood?"

"Whatever. Where's your usual errand boy?"

"Mick is having a _talk_ with Axel," Leonard answered, already slipping back into his bored voice. "He's been hexing people again."

Mark resisted the urge to roll his eyes.  _Oh yeah, I bet there's a lot of **talking** going on, _ Mark thought to himself. Leonard seemed to feel the same way. 

"Just send him back here," Snart said. 

A few minutes after Mark left his office with the door open _(rude)_ Barry cautiously made his way in. Without Mick's presence, Barry seemed a bit more at ease but still watched Leonard warily from across the small office.

"You can come a little closer, pup, I don't bite. Not unless I'm asked," Leonard drawled with a teasing smirk. "I wasn't sure you were coming back."

"I meant it when I said I'll do anything," Barry said. Leonard studied him carefully, and then shrugged.

"Alright. Tell me, how long is your leash?" Leonard asked. Barry's eyes darkened a bit. "I mean, how much freedom do you have to come and go?"

"I can go anywhere in the city limits as long as I haven't been expressly forbidden," Barry said, his voice tight. "My time is my own as long as I finish all of the tasks he gives me for the day, and he works late most nights."

"This might work then." Leonard leaned his elbows on the desk, steepling his fingers under his chin. "What you're asking is expensive. Star Labs is protected by some of the most advanced security systems in the country. I'll need a crew, time to plan, and special equipment. There's also no foreseeable prize for me, so the payout has to be factored in as well. You cannot pay me the money, nor do you have the ability to bestow favors."

Barry ducked his gaze, feeling the burn in his eyes and throat that was a precursor to tears.

"I know."

"That being said, I do have an idea as to how you could _work_ off your debt to me," Snart said. Barry looked back up, reluctant hope on his face. "You're a selkie."

"Um...yes."

"I've heard tales of your kind luring the hearts of men through your dancing. How much of that is true?" Snart asked. Barry felt a sharp pang of loss for his home, but he nodded. 

"Our mating dances can be pretty..." Barry was blushing. "Distracting."

"I need a new performer," Snart said. "If you have the skills, I'll let you work off your debt on stage on the nights you can get away from your... _husband_. When you've paid off half the cost, I'll steal your skin back. But...you'll have to work off the second half before I'll give it back."

Barry froze. 

"But..." Barry forced his voice to steady. "How do I know you'll give it back at all?"

Snart raised his eyebrow. Good, he decided. The pup had a little fire left in him still.

"I'm a man of my word, pup."

"My name is _Barry_!"

The man smirked at Barry's sudden outburst. 

"Barry. It's the best offer I'm willing to make with you," Snart said. "If you want your freedom, this is the price."

Barry's hands clenched at his sides. 

"Of course," Snart went on. "Before you decide, I'll need to see a demonstration of your skill first to determine if you'll be an asset."

* * *

Mick was looking slightly disheveled when he joined Leonard to watch the selkie "audition". Leonard had given him an obvious once-over, smirking at the little bruise on his second-in-command's neck. For someone so fearsome, Mick was uncommonly fond of the little druid and watched every one of his performances. 

"You may choose from the music we provide, and we generally allow our dancers to choreograph their own sets," Hartley was saying as he showed Barry how to do each thing as he explained. Hartley was being uncommonly un-prickly towards the selkie, just like Mark had been. Leonard wondered if it was the selkie's big innocent eyes that was turning his crew a bit soft. Barry could probably get people to throw themselves at his feet without even trying with those eyes.

"Do I have to pay for my own costume?" Barry asked. Hartley snorted.

"Worry about this first. If you can't seduce people in your regular clothes, what good are you?"

Barry nodded, wilting slightly under the gaze of the shorter siren. He had never met a siren this far inland before. Nor had ever met a siren with hearing aids. Barry had noticed them immediately, small as they were. He wondered what the story was there.

"We don't have all day," Mick called. "Either get up there, or get out."

Leonard wouldn't have put it quite so brusquely, but then again he wasn't cranky from being pulled away from a sweet young thing. Barry selected a song, and stood motionless in the center of the stage. The music started to play, and Barry raised his arms to the sky.

Five minutes later, Leonard motioned for Hartley to cut the music. Hartley actually physically shook himself out of his trance, and complied. Barry stopped moving, and a self-conscious look came over his face as he crossed his arms protectively over his bare chest. He had shucked off his shirt at some point to reveal his smooth skin and toned abs. The silence stretched on, and Barry started to get nervous.

"Damn, I feel like I need a cigarette or something," Mark said finally from his post behind the bar. Mick started laughing.

"You got some moves, pup," Leonard said finally. He'd hire Barry even if he wasn't trying make a deal. Damn. "So, do we have a deal?"

Barry focused on him.

"Deal."

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
